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Hotter than Hell 2014

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There’s something to be said when a bunch of mountain bikers decide to take it upon themselves to road ride 100 miles in late August at the most notorious biking event in the country.  The infamous Hotter’n Hell Hundred, and the Wichita Falls weather did not let us down.  An air temperature of around 102 F and heat index of probably the surface of the sun couldn’t stop any of the Bearded Women Racing members who attempted the 100 mile/K endurance distances from completing the dastardly event.  Much fun was had at the expo checking out a few of our sponsors including ReGeared, Bicidichi, and Rudy Project, and after the ride at the casino, but we’ll keep this post family friendly!

Here are the team results and photos from the weekend:

  • Daniel Johnson, 100 mi:  06:14:21, M 30 – 34, 688 overall
  • Dana Cobb, 100 K:  05:15:06, F 45 – 49, 876 overall
  • Jonathan Braddick, 100 mi:  07:40:02, M 35 – 39, 1830 overall
  • Nathan Delahoussaye, 100 mi:  07:40:09, M 35 – 39, 1834 overall
  • Ben Leach, 100 mi:  09:42:18, M 30 – 34, 2994 overall
  • Keith Brewer, 100 mi:  07:32:50, M 45 – 49, 1729 overall
  • Corey Fawcett, 100 mi:  07:32:50 M 34 -39, 1730 overall
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Carry the Load 2014

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Our team supports various causes related to the military, police and fire, Carry the Load is one where several members show their support by donating and walking this unique and incredible event.  On May 25th – 26th, team members Jonathan Braddick, Brad Wendling, and Nathan Delahoussaye all gathered at Reverchon Park in near downtown Dallas to participate in a 24 walk along the Katy Trail to show their support for this great organization.  The group raised up to $200 for the organization and walked 91 miles combined as a team.  You can join the 2015 event, and start raising money to support this great organization.

Here are some photos during the event:

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Corey Fawcett, Racing Member, Geared

 

Corey Fawcett, Racing Member, Geared
Corey Fawcett, Racing Member, Geared

Racing Results

2014

 1/18/2014 Northshore Frozen Series Endurance DNF due to fire
 2/1/2014 OCNP Frozen Endurance 27th out of 60th, 4 hour open
 6/3/2014 DFW Summer Series Boulder 4th out of 15th, Sport
 6/7/2014 Terra Firma Dallas Rocks Adventure 2nd out of 25th, Solo Male
 6/14/2014 Smurf Boy RCP 7th place out of 35th, Solo Male
 6/21/2014 Lonestar XC LBH 5th out of 33rd, Sport
 7/12/2014 Smurfboy River Legacy 6th place, Men 39 and under

Profile

Birth Date April 20 1976
Birth Place
Dallas
Home Town
Garland
List and describe your bicycles Specialized Stumpjumper Comp 29er
My XC racer, well the only mountain bike I got.
Schwinn Fastback Sport, with some upgrades, Roadie and training bike, for when I like to go fast.
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in
Finished 24th (DNF Crashed) Smurfboy RCP
Finished 10th overall Vocation 5k 22:08
Finished 16th Cat 3 30-39 LBH DORBA Race
Finished 16th Cat 3 30-39 RCP DORBA Race
Finished 8th Cat 3 30-39 CHSP DORBA Race
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle? Riding home from elementary school on my BMX Huffy, doing everything I could to beat the cars in the school zone.
Why do you ride a bicycle?
Fitness, Fun, escape, I happen to be decent at it.
What does Bearded Women mean to you?
I’m hoping it means expanding my skills, meeting new people, becoming a better cyclist/human.

 

Corey Fawcett
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Rudy Project

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One of our newest product sponsors, members get great discounts on helmets, sunglasses, and apparel!

 

About

For more than 27 years Rudy Project has been committed to technology and technological innovations that offer unique solutions for athletes and weekend warriors. The unquestionable excellence of the Rudy Project line of products is a result of the desire and intuition to continuously create new ideas and to implement them in the form of development activities and quality management, on-going research in the field of materials, a rigorous program of experimentation and testing, and in interactive relationships with the recipients of the finished product. The results are astonishing. The combination of design and professionalism, the merger of aesthetics and materials: the winning mix… Our magic. Our athletes. Our men and women.The stars of the Rudy Project World.

 

 

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Greg Campbell, Racing Member, Geared

Greg Campbell, Racing Member, Geared
Greg Campbell, Racing Member, Geared

Racing Results

2014

Tx Chain Ring Massacre
Red River Riot
Dirty Kanza 200  110 miles completed, DNF mechanical/injury
The Hell of North Texas

Profile

Birth Date January 26 1970
Birth Place
Chicago
Home Town
Richardson
List and describe your bicycles Jamis 29er
Cannondale CAAD 8
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in
Mountain bike – I have ridden in the Ouachita Challenge as well as a some DORBA races.
For the road I have ridden HHH the past 2 years
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle? Flying down the hill in my neighborhood and slamming on the coaster breaks to see how big of a skid mark I could leave.
Why do you ride a bicycle?
I ride to keep my mind and body free. I always feel great when I’m out in the woods with no cares in the world for that time.
What does Bearded Women mean to you?
A chance to meet a new great group of riders and to challenge myself on the racing level.

GregCampbell1

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24 Hours in the Canyon

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What an excellent venue for mountain bike racing. Let me be the very first to say that Palo Duro Canyon is one of the most spectacular destinations in all of Texas and easily as scenic as our best National Parks. So it goes without saying that the whole experience of doing a 24 hour mountain bike race in such a venue is impressively unique.

The weekend started off excellent, easy 5hr drive, beautiful weather, etc. etc.. We started setting up the pit area around 5pm on Friday and we were fortunate enough to be joined by Damon Williams from Cadence Cyclery (Highland Village) who had donated his time and skills to wrenching on peoples bikes for the race…. Not just Bearded Women or Cadence bikes, but everyone who needed mechanical support, Damon was there to help. This actually provided a lot of entertainment and comedic relief. It’s kinda funny to see some of the stuff that happens to peoples bikes before during and after a race. But it’s even funnier to hear them explain the problem or how to fix it to the mechanic. And we had a front row seat for the whole show.

The race went off without a hitch. We sent Brad out of the gate with one goal: Do the 1st lap as fast as possible, then we will start with the two lap rotations at a sustainable pace. The start line was two miles down the road in a separate campground from the pit area, so the rest of the team was just kinda hanging out waiting for Brad to come in and not really knowing what to expect from a timing standpoint. The initial lap had a lead out and lots of congestion so we were guessing lap times, 1hr, 55 minutes, 50 minutes… etc.. As you can imagine, we were pretty shocked when he rolled through with a 41:15 on the first lap! And then BAM! Eric goes out and puts down back-to-back 42 minute laps, almost identical. I think we knew right then and there 30 laps was going to be easily attainable. Jesse came in off his first set around 3pm and handed off to me and he was like “dude, it’s way hot”… and man was he right. I rode from about 3ish to 4:30ish and it was super hot and super dusty… I’m talking border line RCP backwards 2013 DORBA Fall Series hot and dusty. If you were there you know what I mean.

After the first full rotation we were locked in on auto pilot. We were watching the clock, making sure our teammates had water hand-ups when they came through, basically running like a well-oiled machine…. Unlike some of the bikes Damon was wrenching on in the meantime.

Nightfall came and once again we were in a position where we didn’t really know what to expect from a timing standpoint. Jesse came in with his lights on, but I started the first full dark lap so when I came through in 46 minutes on the 1st lap I was in disbelief. I thought for sure nightfall would have us well into the 50 minute range. But we were flying and we were more than halfway to our goal.

For me… this is where shit got real. 3am, I had been asleep for about an hour and half, Eric wakes me up and says “Jesse just did a 45 minute lap! You need to get up and get ready”. OK. So I put on some clean bibs and my sweaty jersey and I start trying to wake up and get excited to go ride in the desert all alone in the middle of the night for about 2 hours. Sounds awesome right? I hope you reading this realize that so far I have been screwed on this riding schedule. 1st set in the absolute hottest part of the day, 2nd set as soon as it gets dark, and now the 3rd set in the most lonely, most sleepy, most quiet, most eerie, most you name it part of the night. I think I fell asleep on the 1st lap of this set because I looked up and I was already ¾ finished… I thought, man this aint too bad… but then for some reason I woke up and the 2nd lap lasted an eternity. I was literally talking to myself, “once you finish you can go to sleep, keep pedaling and you can go to sleep, don’t walk this section, you can finish faster and go to sleep”. Then I started thinking to myself “shit, you were supposed to wake up Brad when you finished your first lap. You forgot to do that!…. What if he isn’t ready to go?. WHAT IF I HAVE TO DO A 3RD LAP!!!!????” Anyways, I roll up and that dude is awake and ready to go… High five, hell yeah, I’m going to sleep.

Well while I was asleep the good times kept rolling, except for Eric who flipped over the handlebars and for Damon who had to fix Eric’s bike in the dark at 5am (more on that in a minute). Lap times remained well under 50 minutes for the most part and by the time I woke up at 730 all we had to do was crank out three more laps and we were at 30. Jesse was on his final lap, I put in number 29 and Brad closed it out. We could have done 31, but we decided to save some for next year 😉

All in all we had 1 mechanical and no serious injuries. Eric’s rear brake pad separated from the metal backing and he had to finish GSL (the most technical section) with only a front brake… That’s how he ended up going over the bars.

This was a great experience and the team of guys couldn’t have been better. Nothing beats getting a 1st place trophy on your very first 24hr mountain bike race! Looking forward to next year!

-Dan Johnson

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The Red River Riot

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The Red River Riot.

As told by Eric “Lacy” Swarvar, Racing Member, SS

After doing a few Spinistry Gravel rides I thought I knew what to expect. Kevin runs a professionally organized promotion like no other. An entry fee of $30 got me an option of 3 distances of 40,72, or 123 miles, I wisely choose the middle for my cross bike and I. Fellow Beards Mike and Greg were also at the race and after exchanging greetings at Muenster High School, we quickly realized the event was off to a start. We started to the back, which is never my favorite place to start. I began to push to get to the front of the group but only made it to the 2nd peloton. The group was led out by Kevin in his vehicle to begin the day. The pace picked up quickly and I settled in to a 17+mph average. At mile 4 a rider went down in a gravel turn. I did not stop to offer assistance as my level of medical training is not good and he already had 4 fellow riders helping. I rode a little cautious for the next few miles until the scenery drew my attention away from my thoughts on the wreck. From mile 8 to 25 I rode with a few individuals I know, but not working a pace line, we were turning the cranks and chewing the cud. At mile 25 a pace line formed and the speed picked back up. There were about 20 riders pushing through and at mile 30 my loins were releaved to feel pavement. I cranked the speed up for a fast mile hitting a 30.8 MPH average just to have a little fun with the guys on the MTB. It was my impression that the first loop was a 35 mile loop before coming back to Muenster High to check in. I was wrong since it was a keen 40 miles. I averaged a nice 17.3 MPH average, far from the guys in the first group with a 19+ mph average.

Loop two will forever be known as the bastard loop to me. It had a lot more elevation changes then the first but the scenery was equally beautiful. For a while I rode with Chaos(for those of you that have meet him you know him). He was rolling a single speed fixed gravel bike and was smiling the entire time. Halfway into the second loop you could break left to the winery or right to stay on course, Chaos went off to the winery with a, “Yhea Man!” as I pushed to stay on course. Thats when trouble occurred at mile 56. The real climbing began. 400+ feet over 4 miles and the peak of the climb was 160 feet over .7 miles….quads cramped and admittedly I became a hiker instead of a biker for about .3 miles. Once the hill leveled I jumped back on the saddle and started to pedal. I took about a mile to settle back in and feel good. Finishing 72 miles in 4 hours 32 minutes with over 4,100+ feet of climbing on gravel felt good. I consumed 3 bottles of Scratch labs, 1 water bottle, and 4 Scratch rice cakes. Next time I will eat a little more on the ride, I believe thats where the cramping came from.

After most Spinistry events Kevin provides BBQ brisket, beans, salsa, to make your own tacos or sandwiches. He also took pictures out on the course, posted the results in less then 24 hours, and emailed each participant their individual results by Monday. This is an event I will keep on my calendar year after year, and highly encourage everyone to hit up a few of his events.

Results here:

Eric Swarvar, Medium Route, 26 of 90, 4:36:23

Mike D’Aurelio, Medium Route, 71 of 90, 5:39:43

Greg Campbell, Short Route, 20 of 80, 2:35:23

Eric Swarvar, Racing Member, SS (Right)

-Eric “Lacy” Swarvar

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Katie Shaw, Racing Member

Katie Shaw, Racing Member

Profile

Birth Date January 9, 1991
Birth Place California
Home Town Keller, TX
List and describe your bicycles 2013 Cannondale Tango SL3 29er, Giant Avail 3 Road Bike, Origin-8 steel frame fixie (it’s quite colorful).
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in 2nd place overall women’s cat 3 in the DORBA Fall XC series
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle? I had a sparkly magenta huffy with streamers on the handlebars. It was legit and had studded tires to tackle the Nebraska winters.
Why do you ride a bicycle? I like having awesomely strong and toned legs. Duh.
What does Bearded Women mean to you? It means that I get to be part of a team who shares my passion. Doesn’t get much better than that.

 

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Armando “MandoMex” Zermeno, Racing Member

Armando Zermeno, Racing Member

Racing Results

2014

DORBA Frozen Endurance OCNP  34 of 60, 5 laps, 4:12:31

Profile

Birth Date August 24 1977
Birth Place Dallas, TX
Home Town Dallas, TX
List and describe your bicycles 1. Niner Air 9 Scandium
2. Edwin custom cyclocross (Campy)
3. GT S5 road (Campy)
List past racing accomplishments in any sport you’ve competed in Raced a few cross races last year for fun.
What is your first memory of riding a bicycle? When I first learned to ride at about 10 years old! Freedom to roam the neighborhood!
Why do you ride a bicycle? I ride to stay in shape, fun, an occasional race. It’s also cheaper for me to ride to work.
What does Bearded Women mean to you? It gives me a chance to get to ride with some new people, make new friends on and off the bike. And to represent in the local North Texas cycling community as a group effort.

 

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